Key holder



H. T. LUCAS KEY HOLDER Filed March lO, 1959 INVENTOR Har/jy T La ca s.

Patented Mal. 18, 1941 UNITED .STATES ArrlzNT Ormel;

KEY HOLDER -Harry T. Lucas, Roanoke, Va., assigner to The Union Switch`& Signal Company, Swissvale, v Pa., a corporation of PennsylvaniaApplication March 1o, 1939., serial No. 261,035 7 claims. (c1. 'io-447)f arises, however, in which it becomes necessary to permit some otherperson to gain access to the operating mechanism Yof the devices, and t0enable the necessary access to be obtained, an emergency key is providedwhich cannot be obtained without leaving some evidence of the tact that.the key has been obtained. Heretofore. in order to provide thenecessary evidence of the tact that .the key has been obtained, the keyhas usually been housed in a container some part of which had to bebroken to secure the key, thereby giving rise to some trouble andexpense each time the key was removed fromthe container.

In Iaccordance with my present invention, I eliminate the trouble andexpense which results each .time the emergency key is used by providingfor the emergency key `a new and improved key holder from which the keycan be removed at any time without damage orinjury to the holder, butwhich requires as :a prerequisite to removal of the key the operation ofVa" telltale indicator to a telltale position in which it issubsequently retained until released by a'second key furnished only tothe speci-ally authorized person or persons.

It should be clearly understood at the outset that while a key `holderembodying my invention is particularly suit-able for use under theconditions outlined above, it is not limited to this .particular use,but on the contrary will be found useful wherever it is desirable toprovide a key which cannot be obtained Without leaving an indication .ofthe fact that the key has been obtained.

Other objects and characteristic features of my invention will appear asthe-description proceects.

I shall describe one form of key holders embodying my invention, andshall then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawing, YEig. 1 is a front elevational view'o'f akey holder embodyingmy invention with the parts in the positions whichthey normally occupy. Fig. l2.is a View' to Rig. 1 but showing thepar-ts ofthe Keyholder inthe positions which they occupy when it is the`plates at their opposite sides.

with .a recess I'I which receives a key I2. vplate I0 is .adapted to bemoved vertically bef desired to remove the key from the key holder.

Fig. 3 ls a back view of the key holder shown in the preceding viewswith the backplate removed to better illustrate :the details ofconstructionrof the key holder. Fig. 4 is a detail viewsho-wing theinner side of the blackplate. Fig. 5 is a detail view, partly in sectionand partly in side elevation, of the key holder shown 'in `the precedingviews.

'Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of theseveral views.

plate 2 'secured together by means of screws 3,@-

and maintained in parallel spaced relation by means of a spacing member4 disposed between the .plates at their upper ends, and four otherspacing members 5, .6, i and 8 disposed between vmembers 4, 5, 6, 'I and8 may, if desired, be formed integrally'wi-th either one of the plates,`but .as here' illustrated, the top member is formed integrally thefrontplate, while vthe remaining members are riveted thereto. The screws3 pass through clearance holes in the backplate yand are screwed into`aligned. tapped holes tonned in the spacing members yand the frontplate, respectively, the holes in the .backplate preferably beingcountersunk suiciently to fully receive the heads or the screws. Thecasing may be mounted on any suitable support, and to facilitatefasteningthe casing to the support, holes 9 are provided flor thereception of fastening devices.

A plate ID is slidably mounted in the lower part of the casing A4betweenithe spacing members 6 and 8, and is provided in its front face.The

side of thecasing where the key can be readily removed therefrom. 'llheupper and lower extreme 1positions of the plate are :determined byvmeans of a stop pin I3 which is secured to the plate, and whichprojects into a vertical recess I I 4 formed in the backplate 2.

As .shown in the drawing, the recess I I is made Vjust larg-e Venouglrrto snugly receive the key I2, l

The spacing v and to facilitate removing the key from the recess, a holeI5 is formed in the key retaining plate I0 through which a finger may beinserted to dislodge the key from the recess. The recess may, however,if desired be made larger than the key and any suitable means may beemployed to secure the key in place in the recess.

llt will be noted that when the pllalte I0 occupies its upper extremeposition in which it is shown in Fig. 1, the lower end of the plateprojects outside of the casing for a short distance, and formed in theforward face of this projecting portion is a notch .I6 into which a,fingernail may be inserted to facilitate moving the plate to itslowermost position in case it fails to drop by gravity to this positionunder certain conditions which will be made clear hereinafter.

yExtending transversely of the casing A above the plate I 0 is a'combined latching plate and indicator I8. 'Iihe latching plate I8 isslidably mounted in laterally aligned guideways and 2| formedrespectively by the confronting ends of the spacing members 5 and 6 andthe confronting ends of the spacing members 1 an-d 8, and is constantlybia-sed to .the right, as viewed in Fig. 3, by means of a compressedcoil spning 22, .to a position in which a pin 23 secured to the rearface of the frontplate engages one end of a longitudinally extendingslot 24 formed in the latching plate. The biasing spring 22 is disposedpartly in the slot 24 and partly in a hole 215 which communicates withthe right-hand end of the slot, as viewed in Fig. 2, and is gui-dedWithin the slot by a guide pin 26 the head of which is interposedbetween the spring and .the pin 23. The pants are so proportioned thatthe spring 22 will not become fully compressed after it is forcedentirely into the hole 2-5, whereby the slot 24 serves to limit themovement of the latching plate in the direction to compress the spring,as well as in the opposite direction.r

Provided in the lower side of the latching plate is an L-shaped slot 21which forms a latch arm 28. The slot 21 and latch arm 28 cooperate withan L-shaped latch catch 30 formed on the upper end of the key retainingplate I0 in such manner that the latch catch can fully enter the slotwhen and only when the key retaining plate occupies its upper extremeposition and the latching plate occupies its extreme left-hand position,as viewed in Fig. 2, and that when the latch catch is in the slot, andthe latching plate occupies any po-` sition but its extreme left-handposition, as viewed in Fig. 3, the latch arm will underlie the latchcatch in a manner to prevent the key retaining plate from being movedaway from its upper extreme position. y

It follows, therefore, that when the key retaining plate I6 is oncemoved to its upper extreme position, it cannot be moved away from thisposition until after the latching plate I8 has been moved to its extremeleft-hand position, as ,viewed in Fig. 3, which position I shallhereinafter refer to for convenience as its unlatching position.

To facilitate the entry of the latch catch 38 into the slot 21, the freeend of the latch catch is tapered in the manner shown and the free endof the latch arm is similarly tapered and is also rounded at the lowerend of the tapered portion.

As will be seen from an inspection of the drawing, the latching plate I8is somewhat longer than the case A is wide, and provided on the forwardface of the latching plate adjacent its right-hand end, as viewed inFig. 2, is a suitable indication means I8a which, as here shown, com`- ymeans of the spring 22.

The key holder also comprises means whereby when the latching plate ismoved to its unlatching position, it will subsequently be prevented fromreturning toward its latching position past an intermediate position inwhich the disc I8a is visible, until released by means of a second 'keynot shown. As here illustrated, these means comprise a cylinder lock 3Iwhich is secured within a suitable hole formed in the frontplate I abovethe latching plate, and the inner end of the barrel of which projectsinto the casing and carries a cam 33. The cam 33 cooperates with a camsurface 34 formed on a latching dog 35 which is pivotallymountedintermediate its ends on a pin 36 secured to the frontplate- I.The dog 35 is disposed between the cam and the latching plate. and isbiased by means of a spring 31 to such position that the nose of the dogwill enter a notch 38 formed in the upper edge of the latching platewhenever the notch aligns with the nose of the dog. The notch 38 is sodisposed that4 it will align With the nose of the dog whenever thelatching plate is moved to its intermediate posiy.

tion in which it is shown in Fig. 2, and the parts are so proportionedthat if the key retaining plate is moved from its lower position to itsupper position when the latching plate occupies its intermediateposition, the tapered surface of the latch v arm will cooperate with thetapered surface of the latch catch in a manner to cause the latch arm toautomatically enter the slot 21 and become latched in its upperposition. For convenience, this intermediate position may be referred toas an indicating position.

The parts are further so proportioned that if the lock is operated whenthe dog is in the notch 38, the cam 33 will rotate the dog to a positionin which it is withdrawn from the notch and the lock 3I is soconstructed that it can only be operated Iby the special key referred tohereinbefore. In order to provide adequate clearance for the cam 33, arecess 40 is formed in the backplate .opposite the cam.

The operation of the key holder as a whole is as follows: Normally theparts occupy the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 1. That is tosay, the key I2 is disposed in the recess II in the key retaining plateI8, and the plate I0 is latched in its upper position where the key isinaccessible by means of the latching plate I8, which latter plate underthese conditions occupies its extreme left-hand or latching position inwhich the red disc I8a is invisible.

When it is desired to obtain the key I2, the latching plate is pushed tothe right as view ed in Fig. 1 to its extreme right-hand or unlatchingposition, and as soon as the latching plate reaches this position, thekey retaining plate will normally drop by gravity to its lower position.If the key retaining plate should fail to drop by gravity toits lowerposition, it may be pulled downwardly to this position by inserting thefingernail in the notch I6. As soonr as the key retaining plate I0drops, the latching plate I8 maybe released, and the latch dog 35 willthen cooperate with the notch 38 to prevent the latching plate fromreturning, under the bias of the spring 22, past its intermediate orindicating position in which it is shown in Fig. 2 and in which the reddisc [8a is exposed. When the key retaining plate occupies its lowerposition, the key I2 can readily be obtained. After the key has beenused, it can be replaced in the recess Il, and the key retaining platecan be restored to its upper position. If this is done, the keyretaining plate will automatically become latched in its upper position,and if it becomes necessary tov again obtain the key, all that needs tobe done is to push the latching plate to the right to its unlatchingposition to again release the key retaining plate.

When the latching plate occupies its indicating position, a telltale isgiven that the key has been removed from the lkey holder, and in orderto restore the latching plate to its normal position, it is necessary tooperate the lock 3i by means of the auxiliary key provided for thispurpose. The operation of the lock causes the cam 33 to engage thelatching dog 35 and move it out of engagement with the notch 38 in thelatching plate I8, whereupon the latching plate will automaticallyreturn, under the bias of the spring 22, to its normal position in whichit is shown in Fig. 1.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of key holdersembodying my invention, it is understood that various changes andmodiiications may be made therein within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is:

1. A key holder comprising a member movable between a key retaining anda key releasing position, indication means, means for operating saidindication means to an indicating position before said member can bemoved to its key releasing position, a lock requiring a key for itsoperation, and means effective when said indication means has been movedto its indicating position for retaining it in such position until saidlock is operated.

2. A key holder comprising a member movable between a key retaining anda key releasing position, indication means, -means for preventing saidmember from being moved from its key retaining to its key releasingposition until after said indication means has been operated to anindicating position, and means eiective when said indication means hasbeen moved to said indicating position for latching it in this positionuntil released by a key provided for that purpose.

3. A key holder comprising a member movable between a key retaining anda key releasing position, indication means, means for preventing saidmember from being moved from its key retaining to its key releasingposition until after said indication means has been operated to anindicating position, a lock requiring a key for its operation, and meanseffective when said indication means has been moved to said indicatingposition for latching it in this position until said lock is operated torelease it.

4. A key holder comprising a casing, a key retaining plate provided witha recess for receiving a key and slidably mounted in said casing formovement between a first position in which said recess is disposedinside of said casing and a second position in which said recess isdisposed outside of said casing, a latching plate movable between aiirst position in which it prevents movement of said key retaining plateaway from its rst position and a second position in which said keyretaining plate is free to moveto its second position, means effectivewhen said latching plate is moved to its second position for returningit to and latching it in an intermediate position, lock controlled meansfor releasing said latching means, and means for providing a visibleindication when said latching plate occupies its intermediate position.

5. A key holder comprising a casing, a key retaining plate provided witha recess for receiving a key and slidably mounted in said casing formovement between a first position in which said recess is disposedinside of said casing and a second position in which said recess isdisposed outside of said casing, a combined latching and indicationplate slidably mounted in said casing and biased to a latching positionand movable from its latching position through an indicating position toan unlatching position, means on said latching plate cooperating withmeans on said key retaining plate for latching said key retaining platein its rst position when said latching plate occupies any position butits unlatching position, and means effective after said latching platehas been moved to its unlatching position for preventing it from movingtoward its latching position past its indication position untillreleased by a key provided for that purpose.

6. A key holder comprising a casing, a key retaining plate provided witha recess for receiving a key and slidably mounted in said casing formovement between a first position in which said recess is disposedinside of said casing and a second position in which said recess isdisposed outside of said casing, a combined latching and indicationplate slidably mounted in said casing and biased to a latching positionand movable from its latching position through an indicating position toan unlatching position and provided with indication means which isvisible when said latching plate occupies its indicating or unlatchingposition but not when it occupies its latching position, means on saidlatching plate cooperating with means on said key retaining plate forlatching said key retaining plate in its iirst position when saidlatching plate occupies any position but its unlatching position, andmeans effective after said latching plate has been moved to itsunlatching position for preventing it from moving toward its latchingposition past its indicating position until released by a key providedfor that purpose.

7. A key holder comprising a casing, a key retaining plate provided witha recess for receiving a key and slidably mounted in said casing formovement between a first position in which said recess is disposedinside of said casing and a second position in which said recess isdisposed. outside .of said casing, a combined latching and indicationplate slidably mounted in said casing and biased to a latching positionand movable from its latching position through an indicating position toan unlatching position, means on said latching plate cooperating withmeans on said key retaining plate for latching said key retaining platein its first position when said latching plate occupies any position butits unlatching position, a notch in said latching plate, a dog biased tosuch position that it will enter said notch when said latching plateoccupies its indicating position and will prevent it from moving due toits bias to its latching position, and lock controlled means for attimes operating said dog to release said latching plate.

HARRY T. LUCAS,

